Several church leaders expressed opposition to Houston's ‘bathroom bill’ that made it legal for men to use the women’s bathroom (and vice versa). The city then did something chilling - they demanded churches fork over all sermons, speeches and communications mentioning the Mayor, the bill, and gay issues.
Watch Glenn's reaction on radio today:
"I'm going to start with what's happening in Houston, Texas. It is an assault on the churches and faith. An assault on religion. We have become a very anti-religious group of people. And we better wake up right now," Glenn said.
In Houston, five preachers have had their sermons subpoenaed as part of an ongoing lawsuit dealing with the "bathroom bill", which allowed transgendered men and women to use opposite sex bathrooms.
In a subpoena to five members of the Houston Area Pastors Council, the city is requesting a long list of documents and communications. Among them are "all speeches, presentations, or sermons" related to the Equal Rights Ordinance and "all communications with members of your congregation" regarding it and the failed petition against it.
"It's your constitutional right and duty from God to speak out from the pulpit. It's the Black Robe Regiment that actually gave us freedom in the United States of America. It is the pulpit," Glenn said. "It was the Christians that were leading the way to man's freedom. And if the Christians don't do it this time, we'll never do it. We will lose it."
Part of a new Houston ordinance allows transgendered men to use women's bathrooms (and vice versa).
"The churches started speaking out against it. Then they gathered signatures. It was going to get on the ballot. But her administration went and looked at the signatures and threw out like half of them. Said they were ineligible and unreadable. So we can't verify any of these signatures. So it never made it to the ballot. There's your first offense," Glenn said.
During the discovery process, the city subpoenaed the sermons of the preachers who oppose the bill. They call for "all speeches, presentations, or sermons related to HERO, the Petition, Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality, or gender identity prepared by, delivered by, revised by, or approved by you or in your possession."
"Anything that they wrote. Anything that they said. Anything that they approved. Anything that they saw that takes a stand one way or another against these topics," Glenn said.
"It dawned on me this morning as I'm looking at this situation in Houston. What they're trying to do is get people to say [because of] the 501C3, you can't talk about anything political at a church. Otherwise, you lose your tax-exempt status."
"You want to really undercut the churches, take away their tax-exempt status. Because you will cut their budgets in half. They won't be able to do what they're doing. So by taking away their tax-exempt status, you cripple the churches and, believe me, that's what's coming," Glenn said.
Glenn encouraged religious leaders from across the country to send in their sermons to Houston and overwhelm the mayor's office.
The address is:
Mayor Annise ParkerHouston City Hall
901 Bagby St
Houston, TX 77002
"I want you to send your sermon to the Mayor of Houston in support of all of the preachers, pastors, rabbis in Houston that have been told they need to turn in their sermons," Glenn said.
